Román Ribera Cirera

ROMÁN RIBERA CIRERA (Barcelona, 1848 - 1935).
"Young man with flowers".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 96 x 63 cm; 120 x 85 cm (frame).

Full-length painting of an adolescent of the high bourgeoisie, captured in a frontal pose, serene, impregnated with a contained candor. The young woman holds lilac flowers in both hands, an attribute traditionally linked to purity and idealized femininity. The silk dress in ochre tones shows a careful study of folds and textures. The cut is fitted at the waist, with puffed sleeves, embellished with bows and highlighted seams that are articulated between the vertical pleats of the skirt. The white collar, finished with meticulously embroidered lace, embraces the neckline with a softness that accentuates the smoothness of the face. The face, with its doll-like features, reveals a barely sketched smile, with a dreamy air, a puff on the cheeks and carmine lips that provide the only chromatic accent that rivals the flowers. Next to the young woman, a table covered with a tablecloth of flowery trimmings provides a decorative and tactile counterpoint. Above it, the young woman plus freshly picked flowers from the field. Ribera handles with a precious technique, typical of his academic training but also of his ability to capture the emotional atmosphere contained in the smallest gestures.

Catalan painter, Román Ribera studied drawing at the School of La Lonja in Barcelona, and painting at the academy of Pere Borrell. He furthered his studies in Rome, between 1873 and 1976, and traveled and exhibited in London. In the Italian capital he attended the Chigi Academy and dedicated himself to painting, but avoiding the contagion of the academicist mannerism of the Roman school. In 1877 he went to Paris, under the guidance of the art dealer Adolphe Goupil, who had acquired the rights to reproduce all his work. There he continued his training, this time directly studying scenes of Parisian street life. A year later, he took part in the Universal Exhibition in Paris, where he obtained a decisive success thanks to the three works he presented. In 1881 he took part in the National Exhibition in Madrid precisely with the aforementioned work of baroque setting, and in 1883 he was awarded the Encomienda de Isabel la Católica. After twelve years in Paris he returned to Barcelona, where he had already exhibited at the Centro de Acuarelistas (1885) and at the recently inaugurated Sala Parés. He then showed his work at the Artistic and Literary Association and at the Parés and Rovira halls, as well as at the Universal Exhibition of 1888 and the Fine Arts Exhibition of 1894, obtaining great critical and public success, soon gaining the favor of the wealthy Catalan bourgeoisie. In 1893 he presented two paintings to the Exhibition organized by the Ateneo de Barcelona: "Inocencia" and "Incógnitca". Individually Cirera showed his work regularly in the Rovira room and, as a group, he was a member of the Artistic and Literary Society of Catalonia. He was part of several official juries, and also of the Board of Museums of Barcelona, in 1901. In 1915 he was named Member of Merit of the Artistic Circle of Barcelona. On his return to Spain, Ribera continued to depict the life of the upper classes, the luxury of their homes, the richness of their party dresses, etc., becoming a faithful portraitist of the Catalan high bourgeoisie of the Restoration, as he had already been of the French bourgeoisie of the Third Republic. He worked mainly in Barcelona, but also traveled to Madrid and held exhibitions of his work there. His work is currently conserved in the MACBA in Barcelona, the Museu d'Art de Girona, the Museu de Montserrat, the Biblioteca Víctor Balaguer and in various important private collections.